OMG, I Actually Had A Weekend Off, Could You Die?

Monday, October 27, 2014

In all the years I've been in retail, I can probably count on two fingers how many times I've actually had a weekend off.

And to be honest, I guess because I've been in retail for so long, having weekends off has never been a big deal for me. In fact, I prefer having week days off because I like having off when other people are working. It makes doing things like grocery shopping and banking so much easier because they're less crowded.

Yet, having this new management position at work entitles me to one weekend off a month, which started this month. And not only that, but my boss also gave me today off, so I've had THREE days off in a row. Yahoooooo!

Saturday, I mainly stayed at home except for hanging out in a local park for a couple of hours and enjoying the gorgeous weather we've been having. I needed one day to just decompress and be silent after working so many hours.

Yesterday, however, I decided that I wanted to get out of the city and be closer to nature. So I took a train ride out to my favorite little town, Chestnut Hill.

And can I just tell you...I had a faaaaaaabulous day! It was exactly what I needed.

And what blew me away was how colorful the trees were compared to the ones in the city. Which I think is odd, considering that Chestnut Hill is only about 30 minutes from Center City.

I was in awe at their fiery beauty...

And it just so happens that I picked the best day to go to Chestnut Hill because they were having their annual Halloween festivities, which included a Halloween Walk of children in their costumes throughout the streets. The whole town was decked out in Halloween decorations...

Um...I think I'll pass on the fried spiders and spicy bat wings.

Here is a little boy in a shark costume. And I love how his candy container is a sand bucket!

Is this little girl in her Minnie Mouse costume not the CUTEST thing you ever saw?

A banana costume. I kept waiting to see if other kids came dressed as an apple, a cantaloupe and some grapes, so they could form a fruit salad costume.

Here we have a ghoulish zombie. When he walked by me, I SCREAMED!

A little boy dressed as Nemo and his sister as Minnie Mouse. Minnie Mouse must be a very popular costume this year because I saw about FIVE.

Star Wars costumes. How affectionately adorable is this picture?

I even spotted a gentleman sitting outside of Starbucks with his dog dressed as a butterfly.

Oh, and speaking of dogs. These are by far the most realistic dog costumes I have EVER seen...

48 comments

What a fun day! I love to see all the little kid costumes on Halloween. Did the businesses hand out treats to the kids? I wonder if there was a dentist office handing out toothbrushes? Haha.......have a scary week, Ronnie!

Good morning, Ron. How nice to actually get a weekend off. Getting away for the day must have been really enjoyable.

I can't get over how much you celebrate Halloween in the States. We're very half-hearted about it here. Loved the first autumn picture, the colours are soooo vivid, but all the others gave me a good idea just how much the event is enjoyed.

I agree that the changing colours do vary from area to area...I never found out why.

I noticed the sign Snow Emergency Route.... wow, they must have it bad there.

Ron, the photograph of the little girl in her Minnie Mouse costume is to precious. And the one of the Star Wars costumes is so sweet. It's so great to see the trees changing colors through your pictures. They're beautiful! I miss that so much here.

"Oh, and speaking of dogs. These are by far the most realistic dog costumes I have EVER seen..." Lol You are so funny!

I so glad to hear that you had a weekend off. And it sounds to me like you really enjoyed it. I think it's great that you get one weekend off a month in your your position. I live for my weekends off.

We usually get about a hundred trick or treaters each year, and the funnest part is seeing what they choose to dress up as. I also enjoy trying to pick out the kids I know behind their makeup and masks! Love your fall photos!

Me too, Bijoux! I sat down on a bench on the street and had such a great time watching the kiddies walk by in their costumes. I was SMILING the whole time :)

"Did the businesses hand out treats to the kids? I wonder if there was a dentist office handing out toothbrushes?"

HAHAHAHAHA! Yes, all the businesses handed out treats to the kids. And there was also a guy playing an accordion, who was guiding some of children through the various side street businesses. He looked like the Pied Piper!

"I can't get over how much you celebrate Halloween in the States. We're very half-hearted about it here. Loved the first autumn picture, the colours are soooo vivid, but all the others gave me a good idea just how much the event is enjoyed."

OMG, yes, we get crazy over here about Halloween. And it was such a delight to get out into the suburbs and see families celebrating. It made me feel like a kid again!

"I agree that the changing colours do vary from area to area...I never found out why."

Isn't that strange? I even mentioned it to a gentleman who owned a garden shop yesterday and he said something about how the temperatures are different in a city compared to the suburbs, which causes the trees to turn differently.

"I noticed the sign Snow Emergency Route.... wow, they must have it bad there."

I think they must have put that sign up after last years' winter because it was really snowy.

Yes, Rob, I had a GREAT weekend! And it was such a nice change because I'm not used to it working in retail.

"I used to work Sundays through Thursdays and I always used that Friday off to do my chores. I beat the crowds every time."

Don't you LOVE that about having a day off during the week? When I was still a hairstylist, it was tradition to have Sunday's and Monday's off, which was great because I had one day off on the weekend and one day off during the week.

Looks like Autumn colors were in full blaze - After living for 4 years in S. Philly, where there are no trees, then moving back to VA where it is tree heaven I learned how much I NEED trees and sky. I worked in retail for years and never had a weekend off - I once asked for the day after Thanksgiving off and my boss laughed so hard he nearly had a heart attack!

I think my fav costume had to be the dog with the butterfly wings! Way too cute. I have a ladybug costume for my dog but she absolutely hates it! I think the tentacles on the head are just a bit much for her. The most she will wear is her pumpkin shirt. Beyond that she is a halloween downer lol.

I was hoping for a photo-heavy weekend recap of your jaunt away from the city...and you did not disappoint! Looks like the weather was perfect, too. I'm a west coast person through and through but I have to admit, nothing beats the fall foliage on the east coast. Those trees are faaaaabulous!

As are the costumes. I saw some pretty scary ones in Portland on Saturday, too. Then I realized it was just the locals.

I see you put your time to extremely good use! :-) That first shot is a stunner! I like the lamppost in the shot because it give some perspective on the size of the tree. Weekend off.....what's that? When you're a Nana Nanny with two grandbabykins under your roof there is NO SUCH THING!! Hope you have a relaxing week.

Looks like you had a super weekend off, Ron! I could hear it in your words.

The photographs of the trees are beautiful! Don't you just love this time of year on the east coast? The trees are turning here as well and the weather this weekend suddenly got very fall like. It was sunny, but the air was crisp. I was finally able to pull out one of my jackets and wear it.

The shot of the little Minnie Mouse girl is so cute. And I love the dog costumes. Man, those are some realistic dogs Lol!

Aren't the leaves beautiful, Babs? I've been waiting to see them since the beginning of October, but the trees in the city have barely turned. Taking this trip outside of the city was such a delight because the trees were on fire with color.

Yes, Mark, the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny and cool. It was so nice to see everyone wearing their fall attire. I love this time of the year!

"I'm a west coast person through and through but I have to admit, nothing beats the fall foliage on the east coast. Those trees are faaaaabulous!"

I agree. That's one of the main things I missed while living in Florida. Nothing beats the fall foliage on the east coast. And as I was walking through Chestnut Hill yesterday I thought to myself, "I am so glad I moved back east."

Yes, my weekend was super faaaabulous! It was three days that were absolutely perfect.

"Don't you just love this time of year on the east coast? The trees are turning here as well and the weather this weekend suddenly got very fall like. It was sunny, but the air was crisp. I was finally able to pull out one of my jackets and wear it."

Yes, I love this time of the year on the east coast. LOVE it! And me too, yesterday I had my fall jacket on because it was cool and a bit windy. But the sun was out, so it felt wonderful!

Chestnut Hill is probably my favorite town outside of the city. It's so cute and charming and still has a bit of that old-fashioned feel. They even have a family-owned ice cream shop with the most delicious ice cream. And the servers are HUGE!

Glad you enjoyed the Monster Mash clip. That used to be my favorite song at Halloween when I was a kid. I used to dance to it in my bedroom - HA!

Ron, how GRAND that you had such a beautiful day -- and such a fun outing! I love the Fall colors and the Halloween costumes. Five Minnie Mice? That kind of amazes me. I'd have thought most of the little girls would prefer dressing up as princesses or something.

The dog with the butterfly wings gave me a chuckle. I can imagine how much trouble I'd have, attaching wings to Dallas! He'd never sit still for dressing up, I'm afraid. I guess it's a good thing my son was older than elementary age when we got Dallas (and that Domer never was particularly interested in changing the dog's coat, ha!)

Yes, all 3 days were so beautiful. I even got to spend time outside in the sun, getting a tan. I love this time of the year because you can sit outside and enjoy the sun without it being too hot.

" Five Minnie Mice? That kind of amazes me. I'd have thought most of the little girls would prefer dressing up as princesses or something."

Funny you mentioned that because I did see a few princesses as well. I also saw a little girl dressed as a Lady Bug and she was so PRECIOUS. Unfortunately, the photographs I got of her didn't come out - too blurry :(

"The dog with the butterfly wings gave me a chuckle. I can imagine how much trouble I'd have, attaching wings to Dallas! He'd never sit still for dressing up, I'm afraid."

It was so funny to see how that dog (a Cocker Spaniel) just sat there and was totally unaffected by wearing that costume. OMG...it was so cute!

Good for you Ron!!! That is AWESOME that you got a weekend off!! I don't remember ever having a weekend off when I was in retail!! The colors of the trees are amazing and I love all the costume pics you took!! I was going to go through all my old pics of the girls in costumes throughout the years...but I haven't had time to do that yet, so not sure if I will have time before Halloween! I need to get outside tomorrow and take some pics of their costumes!! Glad you enjoyed your weekend off! xo Jeanne and the girls

First of all... a weekend off... WOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! That is awesome!!!!!!! And i love ALL of these pictures. The Halloween ones... well, I LOVE Halloween so yup they are AWESOME!!!! My favorite is the sign one. Love the web, greenery and the color. The color on the Nemo one is awesome. I didn't realize Minnie was so popular nowadays. How incredible is it that something from so long ago is still going strong. Something positive and good rather than what you see on TV today!

Oh, I love to see the kids (and adults if they get into it) dressed in their costumes. So cute! Lovely photos of the beautiful FALL leaves. Glad you enjoyed your weekend off, and will have more to come!!